Islam Teachings in Public Schools

[Soldier4Christ]

The Truth about the Textbooks

Houghton Mifflin's textbook review giving exact quotes and page numbers.

"Across the Centuries" 7th Grade textbook

[please note, textbook has many revisions, page numbers may not be exact to all versions]

ISLAM UNIT:

I. Islam Belief Statements as Fact:

Occasionally words like "Muslims believe" can be found, but compare how many words of faith compare to the Christian section. (see graph)

The following statements are sprinkled throughout as statements of fact and some begin the paragraphs and lessons with NO statements of "Muslims believe."

   1. "The Quran is the final revelation, just as Muhammad is the final prophet." (pg 62)

   2. (new paragraph) "The Arabic word Quran can be loosely translated as 'recitation." In fact, the very first word the angel Gabriel spoke to Muhammad was "Recite." (pg 63)  [...in FACT???]

   3. "Ramadan is a holy time, because in this month Muhammad received his first message from Allah." (pg 63)

   4. "He also realized that, with his mission complete, he would soon join Allah in heaven." (pg 65)

   5. "Arabic lettering had a special significance for Muslims, because it was used to write down God's words as they had been given to Muhammad." (pg 88)

   6. (Opening paragraph of Lesson 2 with no "belief" qualifiers) "In the year AD610, something extraordinary occurred. The first verses of the Quran, believed by Musilms to be the written record of God's words, were revealed to him at that time." (pg 58)
      (Please look closely at what that sentence is saying. It states the Muslims believe it to be the written record of God's words, but it states as FACT that it was revealed by God at that time. Even the few times "Muslims believe" is noted, it is done in a deceptive way.)

   7. "Then, in the cave, something more far-reaching happened. A being he later identified as the angel Gabriel, or Jibril (juhBREEL) in Arabic, came to him, telling him to read, or recite. Trembling, Muhammad responded that he didn't know how to read or what to read. 'Thereupon [the angel] caught me and pressed me so hard that I could not bear it any more.' Three times the angel pressed Muhammad, finally commanding him to

Read! In the name of your
Lord who created.
Created man from a clot
congealed blood.
Read! And your Lord is the Most
Bountiful.
He who has taught by the pen.
Taught man that which he
knew not.

Qur'an 96:1-5

   8. "From Jerusalem, both Muhammad and Gabriel ascended into heaven, where Muhammad spoke to God." (new paragraph) "These revelations confirmed both Muhammad's belief in one God, or monotheism, and his role as the last messenger in a long line of prophets sent by God. The God he believed in - Allah - is the same God of other monotheistic religions, Judaism and Christianity." (pg 59)
       
   9. "The angel told him [Muhammad] to recite in the name of God." (pg 59)
       
  10. "The...mosque...allowed Muslims to feel Allah's invisible presence..." (pg 97)
       
  11. "Muhammad's revelations occurred from 610 until his death in 632." (pg 61)
       
  12. "Today pilgrims visit the Prophet's Cave on Mount Hira." (pg 58)
       
  13. "Why did Muhammad think he was a messenger of God?" (pg 70)
      (Are they looking for our children to reply, "Because of greed, lust for power, hallucinations? (not once hinted in the text). Or are they trying to compel our children to answer as fact what the text should have taught as a belief. Predetermined questions. My gosh! THINK about what they are leading our children to answer here!
       
  14. "Since the Muslims did not necessarily encourage people to convert to Islam, why did they bother expanding their empire?" (pg 84)
       
  15. Further, I object to Muhammad's wife, Aisha, (she was age 9 when he married her), describing in length what she believes Muhammad experienced as revelation. Though the textbook qualifies it as her version, it is still testimony presented as fact. (pg 58) Conversely, does the Gospel of John, where John gives the story of Jesus, qualify as textbook material?"

I. Unbelievable Leading Assignments to Children:

   1. "Assume you are a Muslim soldier on your way to conquer Syria in the year A.D. 635. Write three journal entries that reveal your thoughts about Islam, fighting in the battle, or life in the desert." (pg 71)


   2. "Form small groups of students to build a miniature mosque [place of worship]. You may decide to use cardboard, papier' mache, or other materials. Have one member do research at the library to find out what the insides of mosques look like. Have another member design a building plan. And have two members collect the building materials. Together, construct the mosque according to your plan." (pg 71)


   3. "You leave your home in Alexandria for the pilgrimage to Mecca. [previously described as a holy religious event0. Using the map on page 53 and other atlases, write a letter describing your route, the landscapes and peoples you see as you travel and any incidents that happen along the way. Describe what you see in Mecca." (pg 71)


   4. "Why do you think the Arabs and others in Southwest Asia would have been attracted to Islam? Explain your reason." (pg 64)

      (This is nothing short of brainwashing! First our children are shown a false god, shown how Muslims worship him, told to imagine being a Muslim, write about it in many ways and then to write what is good about it. All the time claiming this does not proselytize?!?)

[Soldier4Christ]

III. What California Mandates, what "Across the Centuries" delivers:

"7.2 Students analyze the geographic, political, economic, religious, and social structures of the civilizations of Islam in the Middle Ages."

Please note that religion ranks as number FOUR out of a list of five given in bold. Following is what the "Across the Centuries" delivers per my word count, listed in order of dedicated text:


                                                                      Dedicated Text          Pictures

1. Religious Beliefs (not religious politics)                 35%                       20

2. Arts (poetry, art, medicine, science, etc.)          18%                        14

3. Politics                                                              18%                        3

4. Economics                                                        13%                        6

6. Geography (Calif's #1 requirement!)                  03%                        7

7. Social Structures                                               02%                        1



IV.  MORE Leading Suggestions to Children:

   1.    “In what ways is Islam similar to Judaism and Christianity?”  (Pg 64)   

         1. Why is it never asked in what ways are they different?  I can give you PAGES, but that information is not offered anywhere that I can find in this book.
             

   2. “Interview your classmates or use the encyclopedia to find out what these rituals have in common:  Yom Kippur (among Jews), Lent (among Christians), and Ramadan (among Muslims).”
       
         1. WHY the repeated comparisons?  Especially to modern day traditions?  Fails to mention that if a Muslim converts to Christianity they are beaten, kidnapped, tortured, and openly pronounced the death sentence.  Apparently Islam does not feel beliefs are similar!
             

   3. “Why are the Quran and Sunna important to Muslims?”
       
         1. The answer leads children to focus on  Muslim faith.
             

   4. “Muhammad’s success in spreading Islam was due in large part to his strong character.  His followers were attracted to his morality, courage, and compassion, perhaps as much as they were attracted to his teaching.”  Pg 65
       
         1. Are we painting Muhammad as a hero here or what?  How do the writers of this book know that converts were attracted to Muhammad’s morality, courage and compassion?  Compassion?  He wrote to kill all infidels in the Quran!
             

   5. “Find details to support the statement, “Islam, like other religions, is not only a system of beliefs but also a way of life.”   (Pg 64)
       
         1. Do not tell my son to “find details to support,” i.e. prove, Islam is a way of life.  He does not know that way of life and no one has the right to force him to seek it.
             

   6. “The differences between Sunnis and Shiites have become public knowledge today, but all Muslims remain united by their common faith in Allah.  They also share a reverence for the Quran as Allah’s word and recognize Muhammad as Allah’s prophet.”  (Pg 68)
       
         1. These words paint a lovely picture of faith and reverence of Muslims.  The Muslims I see today are either claiming they are a peaceful religion or screaming for the Jihad, holy war against Americans.  The peaceful Muslims claim that the fundamental Muslims are terrorist fanatics and not true Islam.  Yet this textbook paints them all as “united by their common faith in Allah” and a shared reverence.
             
         2. Conversely, rather than whitewash the differences of Catholics and Protestants and present them as “united by their common faith in God and reverence”, the split is analyzed most coldly with reasons given of financial gain and readiness for a change.   No shared faith nor reverence for the Bible is afforded the Christian faith that I could find so far.

[Soldier4Christ]

   7.  “Most Muslim scholars agreed that creating images of living things like humans and animals, which have souls, is forbidden.” (does not say “which they believe have souls” rather states it as fact). Pg 89
       

   8. “Islam has close ties to Judaism and Christianity.” Pg 62“
       
   9. “Why were people first attracted to Mecca, and why do they still go there today?”  Pg 70

       1. They want our kids to answer with what they have been feeding them!  Do they expect our kids to remember to write “because Muslims believe…” when the text can’t seem to remember to do that?  “Why do they still go there today?”   hmmm, I wonder if its DEATH if a Muslim doesn’t go.  I am sure there are dire consequences that the text didn’t cover.

  10. (end of the medical section) …”Interest in treating illness went back to the earliest days of Muslim history.  It was the prophet Muhammad himself who stated that Allah had provided a cure for every illness.”  Pg 92
       
         1. Muhammad himself?  Are we supposed to take keen note?  Why is this sentence here?  To add an “all glory to Allah” at the end of the section that gives credit to medical contributions of Islam?  “Muhammad himself” implies his word carries more weight.  Calling Muhammad a prophet also states he actually heard from God.
             

  11. “The unique style of Muslim art is unmistakable, because it so often uses Arabic script as its inspiration.  Arabic lettering had a special significance for Muslims, because it was used to write down God’s words as they had been given to Muhammad…”   (Page 88 and 89)

      More is discussed of calligraphy in mosques and how scholars agreed they believed images of humans and animals were forbidden (because the book states that animals have souls).
       
         1. Twice in the review our children are referred to this section.  “Write your first name in the center of a sheet of paper.  Then work the letters into a design in the way that Muslims make Arabic letters become part of an intricate design.”  Pg 92   This section describes the inspiration and Islamic spiritual value of writing intricate designed letters, then instructs our children to do the same with their names, I object.
             
         2. “Reviewing Skills:  1.  Read the section headed Art and Design on page 88 of Lesson 2.” (same section)  “Where in the section does the main idea appear?  Write down this main idea.  Then list three details or facts that support the main idea.”  Page 103   (So much emphasis on Islamic beliefs and spirituality woven into art and design.  This is downright sneaky in my opinion).


The textbook make these claims:                     compared to the Quran:


“Christians and Jews are respected                  “O you who believe! Take
 as ‘people of the book’ by Muslims,                 not the Jews and the
 and all their prophets are revered.”                 Christians as [friends,
  (Pg 62-63)                                                    protectors, helpers, etc]”
                                                                      (Surah 5:51)

“The Quran and Sunna allow                           “Prophet, make war on
self-defense and participation                           the unbelievers and the
in military conflict, but restrict it to                   hypocrites and deal rigorously
the right to defend against                              with them. Hell shall be their home:
aggression and persecution.”(Pg 64)               an evil fate (Surah 9:73)

“Many different peoples benefited                    “Kill them wherever you find them.
from Muslim tolerance.” ( Pg 82)                      Drive them out of the places from
                                                                       which they drove you. Idolatry is
                                                                       worse than carnage. But do not fight
                                                                       them within the precincts of the Holy
                                                                        Mosque unless they attack you there”
                                                                        (Sura 2:190)

[Soldier4Christ]

 OTHER UNITS:

I. VARIOUS OBJECTIONS:

As this book is thick, I skipped around to various sections.  These examples I stumbled on which leapt off the page:

Page 34:   States Christians were fleeing other Christians and escaped to Persia (around the 600s).   I challenge this.  I’ve studied Biblical history, there were no Christians persecuting other Christians at this time.  Christians were severely persecuted by non-Christians, yet that appears skipped over often.

“Rome maintained peace in its provinces by allowing individuals to continue living and working as usual.”  (page  27, regarding 27 BC to 117 AD)

What about the Roman ruler Nero and the intense persecution of Christians?

“Because Rome was strong, the empire was peaceful and stable,
 which benefited everyone in it.” (page 28)

Nero put animal skins on Christians as they were fed to packs of wolves.  He used Christian bodies as human torches to light up Nero’s gardens.  Peaceful?   

I could not find any instance in this textbook where Christians were persecuted (except by other Christians, which I challenge.)  On page 315 there is a large 3-column block entitled: “Understanding Religious Persecution.”  It defines persecution, then states

“As Christianity in Europe grew stronger, it taught that
 members of other religions were to be converted, by force, if necessary.”

Segment also blames Christians for Jews persecution when actually everyone persecuted Jews (just as the Hebrew Torah/ OT Bible predicted they would be).  While segment repeatedly blames Christians exclusively for perpetrating persecution on others, there have been more Christian martyrs than any other belief!  It is amazing that only Joan of Arc is mentioned as a martyr (that I can find) and I believe she was the exception because it was an opportunity to criticize the Catholic Church.

“Christian” by definition means “Christ like.”  Nowhere in the Bible did Jesus say to convert people by force.  To blame “Christianity” is false.  Anyone can call themselves “Christian.”

 Page 43:  Extremely misleading paragraph.  Begins with Byzantines (Christians) in 500 AD forcing Christianity.  Suddenly flashes back to 500 BC to list where Jews thrived.  Jumps forward to AD70 to when Romans destroyed Judea and “hundreds of thousands of Jews were shipped off as slaves.”  Many escaped, flourished in [various countries].”  (next paragraph)  “Justinian’s treatment of Jews and other non-Christians (there were no Muslims) was brutal.   

Unless a 7th grader watches the dates carefully as this paragraph jumps all over the place, one would get the impression that the Christians persecuted the Jews so terribly, when in fact, the Christians were being hunted down like animals in AD 70.

Page 46:  Chapter Review:

“Romans are remembered for the peace they maintained in their provinces
 by allowing people there to live as usual but under Roman law.”   

Didn’t they just say they destroyed Judea and sold hundreds of thousands of Jews off as slaves?  Though it was confusing and gave the impression the Christians did it.  Everyone is portrayed as good guys except the Christians!

Page 319:  “During the Middle Ages, many Christians saw themselves as sinful creatures struggling to get into heaven.  But humanists did not see people as sinful.  They thought people had dignity, worth, and the ability to achieve almost anything.  Religion was important to humanists, but they stressed that life on earth was also meaningful.”

What a TWISTED view of Christianity!  Christians believe that Jesus paid the price for our sins, and because of Him we are holy and pure!  The Bible teaches we are “fearfully and wonderfully made.”  There are MANY verses about how precious we are to God, He counts the numbers of hairs on our heads, our pictures are in the palms of His hands.  To be Christian is to REJOICE.  Clearly textbooks cannot be trusted to teach religious beliefs.   

Page 285: “The mission of the church was to save the soul of all members so that they would go to heaven after they died rather than hell.  This salvation, or saving, came through accepting the beliefs of the church, living a moral life, and performing good works.”   

Again, this is an unbelievably twisted version of the gospel.  Not one word that Christ died for our sins?  That God so loved the world that He gave His only Son?  Just, “believe as we do or burn in hell?”

[Soldier4Christ]

Page 47:  Five philosophies are presented in the textbook as “nuggets of wisdom,” including

 “For a good cause, wrong doing is virtuous.”

 This textbook gives a huge amount of emphasis on various cultural philosophies and applauds them.  This particular “nugget” is opposite of what Christ teaches and I object to opposite moral views being taught to our children as wisdom.  That is the publishers opinion and not our beliefs.

Page 47:  “Imagine being a hostile barbarian armed with a knife…”

Our children are told to write a humorous dialogue for a hostile barbarian armed with a knife?  (given as an assignment).  Humor in desperate refugee situations?  Laughing at violence?  Would it help future students to look back at us and imagine humor about gangs, knives, drugs, violence and death?

Page 327:  “In Renaissance times, Christians still barred Jews from most occupations and owning land.”

I think the government, though Christian, wrongfully barred the Jews.  This book continually seeks to criticize Christianity.  Again, “Christian” means “little Christ.”  Christ never at any time told Christians to persecute Jews.  In fact, Christians are told to not even be haughty towards Jews!

 Joan of Arc and Constantine both claimed amazing experiences with God.  Joan of Arc’s prophecies even came true and were able to pass a clever test by the King to see if she was truly of God.  Yet, the book states only that:  “This helped convince the King that Joan spoke the truth.”  This approach would be totally acceptable except that Muhammad’s claimed experiences, with NO fulfilled prophesies, are given many substantiating statements and enticing emotional descriptions of his experience.

 I originally became alerted when my son came home with an assignment to create his own “Tree of Life and Knowledge” using the Hindu pattern.  He was to use oil pastels and Black construction paper to “make your tree come alive.”  Teaching our children about religion at a distance, and asking them to participate in them, learn them in detail, and imagine worshipping other gods; is two different things.

II: VIOLATION OF CHRISTIAN RIGHTS:

Christians are not to seek knowledge of other gods;

Where is the Christian’s “freedom of worship?”  Are we to obey God or man?  The school says I cannot opt my son out of this class and I forbid him to do the assignments, for my God says:

“Take heed that you are not snared and that you INQUIRE NOT after their gods, saying, ‘How did these nations serve their gods?…for every abomination to the Lord which He hates they have done to their gods”
(Deut. 12:30)

“Thus says the Lord:  ‘Do not learn the way of the heathens” (Jeremiah 10:2)

“You shall not walk in the manner of the nations which I cast out before you, for they committed all of these things and therefore I abhor them”  (Lev 20:23)

III.  COMPARATIVE REVIEW:

In addition, the Islam section asks questions like this in review:

 “Why do you think the Arabs and others in Southwest Asia would have been attracted to Islam?  Explain your reason.”  Pg 64

Conversely in the Crusade review, children are asked, “How do you think other people felt to be called infidels?”  In the reviews, children are continually asked to find the positive side of Islam, and the negative side of Christianity.  And it is the Quran, not the Bible, that says “kill the infidel”!

IV.  SUMMARY:

The Crusades, the Inquisitions did happen, but nowhere in the Bible did God instruct Christians to behave that way.  God said, “You will know My people by their love.”  The word “love” is given 264 times in the New Testament alone.  I am told the word “love” (in any language), does not exist in the Quran with relation to each other, only that one must love Allah.

My son values, respects and tolerates others because God says, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” NOT because he imagines himself a Muslim soldier.  People ask how an American, such as John Walker, and the child who flew a plane into a building, could be seduced to the Taliban.  LOOK at what we are teaching our children!

Additionally, three years ago, my son went to an assembly where a district approved African culture troop performed.  My son told me that they chose children to dance to their African god.  Many children did.  Some Christians have no problem with this and see it as harmless.  And yet, the Bible shows clearly how God feels about His children dancing to pagan gods.  Our God is a jealous God!

Every time I open the book, I find something new that is objectionable.  This textbook is full of philosophies and ways of drawing children into them, presenting them as “nuggets of wisdom” with many of the philosophies opposite of what the Bible teaches.  I have no choice but to object.  I hope we can work together to correct these violations of religious freedom.

Our rights are so precious.  God bless America.  I cannot express it often enough  .... Know what your children are being taught!

[Soldier4Christ]

"A Message of Ancient Days"
Another test book being used in public schools. Houghton Mifflin's biased version of Jesus and Judaism for the 6th grade .

I.  SHOCKING  BIAS IN ASSIGNMENTS:

 In the Islam section, our children are asked to assume they are Muslim soldiers, being on a Mecca pilgrimage (act of worship), to research and build Mosques. Many California schools have asked children to get on their hands and knees and repeat words of prayer to Allah. I was anxious to see what the Jewish and Christian sections told children to imagine.

In the Jewish section, the ONLY imagination practice I could find was to imagine they are with the Jews when they were conquered and forced to live away from their homeland. (pg 314)

In the Christian section, the ONLY imagination practice was to imagine being in the buried catacombs of the dead Christians.  (pg 469)

What religion would rejoice if these imagination exercises came true?  Jews conquered and forced from their homeland and Christians in tombs of dead Christians?  The symbolism of that, putting Christians, the body of Christ, back in the tomb…   I’m speechless.   

 II.  TEXT  SCORNS  CHRISTIANITY,  JUDAISM;  PROMOTES   ISLAM:

 Jesus as Savior compared to Muhammad as Prophet:

 To accept Islam, one must say, “There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is his Prophet.”  To receive Jesus Christ, one must “Confess with your mouth and believe in your heart Jesus is Lord.”  Compared below please find the number of words in the textbook that support respective claims:

   Words supporting claims                          Disclaimers 
Jesus Christ as Lord:        116                    10  (i.e. Christians believe)
Muhammad as Prophet:   998                      9  (i.e. Muslims believe)

 That is not a typo.  And I challenge Houghton Mifflin to go over it with me.  (see graph) This includes all words about Jesus in both the Christian and Judaism sections.  The imbalance is obvious and there are more “qualifiers” or “disclaimers” about Jesus than in over 8 times the text supporting Muhammad!

At no time does the textbook state, "Christians believe Jesus is Lord" but anything I could find which even hinted Jesus as more than a teacher, I counted.

[Soldier4Christ]

Muhammad is continuously supported as a Prophet of Allah with few and far between “disclaimers” such as “Muslims believe,” whereas Jesus is often referred to as a “popular teacher with ideas” and every sentence that hints a breath of deity is surrounded by disclaimers. Over and over again Christianity is reduced to “ideas” whereas Islam is referred to as “More than a Way of Life.”  Then it hit me,  our children appear to be deceptively taught:

 CHRISTIANITY  ACCORDING  TO  ISLAM!

The textbook consistently gives Christian beliefs only to the extent that Islam agrees!

Islamic beliefs about Christ verified in the Quran:   

   1. Jesus is a “teacher”.                         Textbook includes
 
   2. Jesus performed miracles.                Textbook includes

   3. Mary was his mother.                      Textbook includes

   4. Angel told Mary to "name Him Jesus"  Textbook includes

   5. *Salvation earned by works.      Textbook includes  *(NOT a Christian belief!)

   6. Lord's Supper                                 Textbook includes

 What Christians believe but Islam denies about Christ is omitted by textbook

     Christians believe:                     (contradicted in Quran)

   1. Jesus died for our sins.      Textbook omits   (4:171)

   2. Jesus is the Son of God.*  Textbook omits   (4:171)

   3. The Trinity                        Textbook omits   (4:171)

   4. Jesus' birth in a stable        Textbook omits (19:22, 3:49, 100:110)

   5. Specifics of miracles        Textbook omits     (5:110)


III. TEXT  ATTEMPTS  TO  REDUCE  JESUS  TO  HUMAN  LIMITATIONS

The Christian Unit states that Jesus’ tomb was discovered empty.  His disciples believed he rose from the dead.  It convinced his followers that Jesus was the (m)essiah. (pg 318)  Sort of by default it seems.  Why would an empty tomb alone convince his followers that He was the Messiah? If I was a child I might laugh that Christians have based everything on just an empty tomb. No mention of Jesus’ return, miraculous appearances, spending 40 days with them, and his ascension to heaven as seen by hundreds, or the documented hundreds of Christians who chose martyredom rather than deny what they saw...which was not merely an empty tomb. Why did the textbook purposefully omit Jesus' ascension? Muhammad’s “ascension” is told in two separate accounts in the Islam section.  The Dome of the Rock rates a picture with the caption,

“The rock is believed to be the place from which
 Muhammad ascended into heaven.”

Look at that sentence closely.  What’s qualified here?  Where he ascended from, or if he ascended at all? I think that on the rare occasion we do see a qualifier regarding Muhammad as Prophet, they are duplistic. (Islam Unit page 59)

Did Muslims ever face death if they claimed they saw Muhammad ascend? I doubt it, but they would probably face death if they said he didn't.

IV.  TEXT  STATES  CHRISTIANS  HATE  WHILE  MUSLIMS  ARE TOLERANT

Tacitus shared the Roman view that Christians should be convicted (death) for their “hatred against mankind.” (Christian Unit pg 464)  No examples of hate are given, our children are just left hanging with that thought.  The textbook also states, “The Jews and Gentiles did not always get along.  In fact, at times violent hatred led to open conflict between them.”  (Christian unit, pg 460)  True, but why are we told NINE separate times in the Islam section that everyone benefited from the tolerance of the Muslims?  How do you conquer everyone with tolerance?  (caution: the following is grisly)  The Crusades began because in Jerusalem, Muslims were cutting out the guts of Christians, tying one end of their entrails to a stake.  They were then chased and flogged until they died.  Did you know you could live a while with your guts hanging out? It must be done tolerantly.

 The textbook states:

“The Jews and Christians’ holy book the Bible is considered by Muslims to be based on God’s revelations.  But Muslims considered these other religions to be less correct.
  That is because the Quran teaches that the Bible has suffered loss and change with time.”

(Then the very next paragraph reaffirms how tolerant Muslims are.)

 “Christians and Jews are respected as “people of the book” by Muslims, and all their prophets are revered.”  (Islam Unit pg 62)

  The textbook continually claims that as long as unbelievers “pay the tax” they’ll do fine.  The verse in the Quran states these conditions a little more specifically:  “if they repent and keep up prayer [become believers] and pay the poor-rate, (tax) leave their way free to them (9:5)  Christians will not “repent and keep up prayer” (convert to Allah).  So everything is not just fine.  This coincides with the verse from the Hadith “holy book”, “I have been ordered to fight with the people til they say, ‘None has the right to be worshipped but Allah.’ (H 4:52:196)

 

[Soldier4Christ]

V.  TEXT BLAMES CHRISTIANS FOR THE FALL OF ROME:

 The textbook puts Christianity at the top of the list for reasons of “The Cause of the Fall” (Christian Unit pg 480)

    “Christians were more devoted to their faith and to the church than to the Roman state.”

 Did it matter as they fed us to the lions if we were devoted to Christ or Rome?  On pg 466 it quotes Pliny as saying not to hunt us down, but to kill us if we’re Christian. Then it says,

“As the above exchange shows, Romans did not generally seek out Christians for punishment.  In fact, Christian settlements existed in North Africa for 100 years before the first Christian was executed.”

WHAT does North Africa have to do with it, it’s clear across the sea!  The textbook just gave all kinds of hideous ways they torturously killed Christians. The textbook actually appears to excuse the abuse, because it states,

 “Some Christians were even put into an arena to fight lions as entertainment for Romans.  Later Christian writers attached great importance to these events.  They used the events to reinforce the suffering endured by Christians who remained faithful to their beliefs.  However, historians do not believe that many Christians were actually sent to the lions.  Overall, most Christians lived in peace until the AD 200s.”

 How many Christians fed to the lions does it take before other Christians feel terrorized?  So, Christians should just stop their whining? They just gave us grisly details of Nero’s killing of us, then it says,

 “Nevertheless, Nero’s treatment of the Christians was unusually harsh.  For the most part, the Roman state ignored the early Christians.  Before AD 64, most of the persecution suffered by the Christians
 came at the hands of other Jews.”

 They must have meant Paul of Damascus who converted to Christianity.  I never heard that Paul tortured us as the Romans did.  And now we’re blamed for the Fall of Rome???  We didn’t do anything, we were just not devoted?  And the TEXTBOOK states, “Why did the empire fall?  Historians do not have one answer.  Still, these factors played an important part.”  Christianity is then listed first out of six.  Then it whines about how hard it is to be a historian.  Yet we should keep quiet about being tortured? 

 The title of the whole Christian Lesson is: “Christianity and the Fall of Rome.”  I did not realize at first that the title was meant to place blame.

This is what the textbook publishers say is “our turn” when complaints were made about the indoctrination of Islam?  Turn for what?

JUDAISM

(Please forgive my presumption to speak for the Jews, I am not a Jewish scholar, but I did receive help from a Rabbi.  I would appreciate any feedback or corrections from Jews).

I.  TEXT DENOUNCES THE PROPHETS:

 When Jeremiah wades in, the textbook states,

“The prophets were not  fortune tellers
 who predicted the future.
Instead they preached a message about
 how the people should act in the present.”

Jeremiah, Danial, Isaiah, etc., gave EXACT prophesies about the future.  False prophets were stoned to death if they prophesied wrongly just one time. It was that important that the people not be misled by false prophets.

Muhammad is the only prophet that could not relay the future.  It seems we must redefine “prophet” because Muhammad did not rightly prophesy.

The textbook states:

“However, by accepting the prophets’ explanation
 for the disaster,
the Jews could keep their faith in God and survive exile.” (pg 311)

The Jews had faith because they knew God!  Not because any prophet attempted to explain away their circumstances. Unbelievably, Houghton Mifflin is giving alternative atheist reasons for Jewish faith and claiming the prophets were false prophets!

 “Then in 540 BC, the Persian ruler Cyrus the Great
 took control of Babylon.”  (pg 311)

Did the textbook "historian" know that Isaiah prophesied more than 140 years earlier, that Cyrus, a Persian ruler would overthrow them?  (Isaiah 44:28)  Isaiah named Cyrus by name.  And yet the textbook claims prophets could not predict the future, taking the opportunity to invalidate Judaism to impressionable children. Prophesies from hundreds of years ago in the Bible are becoming reality TODAY in every newspaper, as we read about Israel!

[Soldier4Christ]

II.  TEXT THROWS OUT GENEALOGIES:

 “Many people lived together in Canaan….Gradually they came together as a people and were called Hebrews.”

 The first time “Hebrew” is named referred to Abraham in Genesis 14:13, commonly known as "Father Abraham", whom God called out from his people. God mandated they stay clear of other nations and the root of the Hebrew nation is Abraham.  This was so important that the Jews painstakingly kept lineage records for centuries.  Hebrews did not just “come together as a people” and name themselves.  Even when Esau, son of Isaac, intermarried, his offspring were named “Edom.”  Genealogies were so carefully kept that Jesus can be traced all the way back through Israel and Judah.

So why would the textbook want to deny the authenticity of the Hebrews? Is it because Islam did not carefully preserve their genealogies? Is it a coincidence that Muhammad claims Allah makes no distinction of peoples?  That doesn’t fit well with God’s “chosen people.”  And the textbook has just dismissed the roots of the chosen that were so carefully recorded. It is all rewritten to fit Islam's beliefs!

The following descriptives are used in the Islam unit compellingly about Islam's beliefs, but nothing close to comparable in the Christian or Judaism Units:

“Compassionate, merciful, purity, calm and faith, inspired leader, reverence, spiritual leader, inspired leader, join Allah in heaven, feel Allah’s invisible presence, divinely guided successor, strong sense of spiritual authority, great cultural flowering, talented military leaders, closer to deity, something extraordinary occurred, something more far reaching happened, trembling, overcome with joy, pressed by an angel, bowing, kneeling, shimmer in light, called to, guiding rules, reverence, good dreams, unique customs, authentic sources.”

Criteria differs with Judaism, so I compared all words that involved  interaction with God or Allah.  I left out some rituals, i.e. much about Mecca and pilgrimage is omitted.

IV. STRIPPED OF FAITH, DEVOID OF GOD:

One or two mistakes or omissions would be understandable, but Houghton Mifflin consistently rewrites "Biblical history" to explain how Israel survived as though God did not exist.

1.  The textbook states:

“When the Jews rededicated the temple after defeating the Syrians,
 they only had enough oil to light their holy lamps for one day.
  Yet according to tradition, the lamps burned for eight days.”

 Jews believe this to be a monumental miracle of God, and the only honor it is given is “according to tradition.”  Compare this to the eloquent and extremely lengthy renditions of Muhammad and Islamic beliefs stated as fact!

 2.  The textbook states regarding Exodus:

  “The Israelites took a round about route to reach their homeland.
  The Torah states that the trek lasted 40 years…”

Why can’t the textbook disclose things such as God led them miraculously, with a pillar of light by night and a cloud by day?  In the Islam section, great emphasis is given to the relationship between Allah and Muslims.  Could it be because the Quran states they were told to travel by night and in darkness?  That would conflict with what Jews believe, so the Jewish details are left out to the extent the Quran agrees.

3.  The textbook states:

“In 1020 BC, the Israelites chose
 a man named Saul as their first king.”  (pg 309)

The Bible states:  “And when Samuel saw Saul, the Lord said unto him, Behold the man whom I spake to you of!  This same shall reign over my people.”  (1 Samuel 9:17)   

God chose Saul, not the people as the textbook states.

The title of this lesson is “Early Biblical History” and should give Biblical History!

4.  The textbook states:

      “David went to a nearby brook, gathered five smooth stones, and put them in his leather bag.  Then he went out to face Goliath, according to the Bible.” (pg 308)

 Twice David said in the Bible, “Who is this that should defy the armies of the living God?…  The Lord that delivered me out of the paw of the lion will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine.”  (1 Sam 17) 

 What a dramatic interesting passage for children!  Instead, the textbook chooses to focus on David’s going to the brook to pick out stones, which is in the Bible. But notice how obscure facts are repeatedly chosen if they line up with Islam.  In the Quran, the only mention about Goliath has to do with a stream!

 "Allah will test you at the stream…
By Allah's will they routed them;
 and David slew Goliath”  (2:249-2:251)

The textbook continues:

“This young boy grew up to become the king of the Israelites.”

The textbook fails to mention that Samuel the Prophet had already prophesied God chose David to be king and anointed him with oil.  David did not actually become king until after a long string of miraculous events, long after the prophet died.  The Bible is rich with quotes from God which are omitted:

“Finally the Lord said to Samuel,
 '…for I have selected one of his sons to be My new king.”
  (1 Sam 16)

Yet Houghton Mifflin presents the Jewish belief as though David just grew up to be king and claims prophets did not tell the future.

What’s the prime agenda, to keep God completely out or to match it up with the Quran?  Why, in the Islam section, are events described so beautifully and compelling toward Allah, but in the Jewish section, everything is rewritten to omit God while events occur in happenstance?

 5.  The textbook states,

    “Solomon showed his skill as a diplomat by making treaties with the pharaoh of Egypt and other rulers.  These treaties assured Israel’s safety.” (pg 309)

This is a HUGE Bible story about the wisdom and relationship between God and Solomon. Instead, the textbook chooses to credit Solomon independent of God.

 

[Soldier4Christ]

6.  The textbook states:

           “The prophets taught that God had power over all peoples, not just the Jews.  As a result, the Jews came to believe that their god alone controlled all nations and directed the course of history.”
(pg 311)

This statement discredits the object of Jewish belief, (God) and again credits Jewish belief to the prophets alone, who apparently needed time to convince the Jews for they had to "come to believe."  God showed Himself over and over again to the Jews throughout the ages, but not according to Houghton Mifflin, unless the god discussed is Allah and the beliefs of Islam.

This sounds like a disclaimer of validity of the Bible.  Because the next paragraph says,

    “Although many people believe that the scriptures are a factual record of biblical times, most historians combine them with other kinds of evidence.”

Is this a self-authenticating license to change what the Bible says?  The lesson is titled “EARLY BIBLICAL HISTORY,” not the Bible as rewritten by historians.

 7.  The textbook states:

 “To remind themselves to obey the law of the Torah,
some Jews wear phylacteries.”  (pg 312)

 They wore phylacteries because God told them to!  "And you shall place these words upon your hearts and upon your souls and you shall bind them as a sign upon your hands and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes." (Deut. 11:18)   How can Houghton Mifflin write so many pages about a religion and avoid God so much?  Why didn’t they present Allah and Mohammad this way in the Islam section?

 8.  The textbook states,

“Religious Jews did not object to Syrian rule…” (pg 313)

 Oh my gosh, this is almost as ridiculous as saying everyone benefited from Muslim tolerance.

V.  CHIPS AWAY AT THE ROOTS:
The textbook states:

“The ancestors of the Israelites
worshipped many gods, including Baal…
however the Israelites came to believe
 that there was only one true god.”

Jews did not just "come to believe," God called them out from His people.  Evidence proves that before Ba'al as well as other polytheistic religions, people believed in monotheism (one God).  Which is exactly what God tells us in the Bible, as He called Abraham out from his people, why?  Because the people had gotten corrupt with idol worship.  This is supposed to be a unit about what Judaism believes, not an opportunity to tear it apart unanswered.  The Israelites didn’t just “come to believe” in God. God specifically blessed the nation of Abraham.       

VI.  TEXT OMITS WHAT CONTRADICTS ISLAM:

In this unit, surgical clips of Moses, Abraham, David and Solomon are given, but only to the exact extent that Islam agrees with the story. In fact, all that is given concerning Abraham are two quotes from the Bible around his name, which are also cited in the Quran. (see Addendum B for specifics)

This is interesting because when Muhammad tried to convince Christians and Jews that he was a Prophet, he said his ministry should be judged by the Bible as true.  Muhammad was here 600 years after Jesus and the Bible was already established.  The Quran claims it is an extension of the Bible and it cannot contradict it.  (2:136)  When it is found to be so completely different from the Bible, the claim is made that the Bible is corrupt, which is supported by the textbook in both the Islam and Judaism section. (see Ezra below) The only backup of what Muhammad claims is the angels told him. It is the Bible that is complete with dates, events, and historical backup.

Biblical Stories contradicted by the Quran/omitted by the  Textbook
Creation                                     (41:9-10,12)
Adam and Eve                          (2:31-37)
Tower of Babel                         (27:4-6, 28:38, 29:39)
Noah and the ark.                     (11:32-48; 11:44)
Isaac offered on the altar.       (37:100-112)
Abraham                                    (6:47, 14:37, 21:68-69, 9:69)
Joseph                                       (12:21)
Golden Calf                               (20:87-95)
Miriam, Moses sister              (19:28)
Many details of Moses:         (28:8-9, 7:136, 7:59)
Gideon                                       (2:249-250)

There are too many to list

[Soldier4Christ]

VII.  TEXT CASTS SUSPICION ON THE BIBLE

 Rather than cover the above Bible greats, the textbook focuses on the lesser-known EZRA (Uzair). The textbook states:

 “The laws of the Jews were contained in the writings that made up what are now the first five books of the Bible.  However, at that time there were many different versions of these holy writings.  No one version was accepted as law by Jews in all parts of the ancient world. Then in the 400 BC, a priest and scribe named Ezra returned from exile in Babylon.  He brought with him a collection of the many versions of holy writings that had been put together by Jewish scribes in Babylon.”  (Pg 312) (excerpt of topic)

 Possible reasons for the emphasis on Ezra:

 1.   Muhammad mistakenly thought the Jews revered Ezra (Uzair) as Christians revere Jesus.  The Quran says,  “The Jews call Ùzair a son of Allah, and the Christians call Jesus the son of Allah…Allah's curse be on them! (9:30)

 2.   Another possible reason to note Ezra is because the textbook account supports the claim of Islam that the Bible is corrupt.  Ezra came with “many different versions” implying contradictions, and “no one version was accepted as law by Jews” worldwide.  The textbook states, “The Torah brought back by Ezra became the accepted version of Judaism’s holiest writings.  With the backing of the Persian authorities, Ezra demanded that the Jews obey the Torah and separate themselves from people who did not.”  This paints a picture of a forced acceptance.

 I am not a Jew, but I studied Ezra in the Old Testament.  It looks to me like Ezra simply verified the authenticity of different copies and organized them with the help of 120 men.  Persia did send Ezra back to Jerusalem to administer the affairs, as he was so impressed with Ezra’s religious knowledge.  When Ezra got there and found the wicked practices of people, he threw himself down in front of the temple, wept and prayed to God for forgiveness.  One by one people started to join in weeping and a national revival began. That’s a far more beautiful and true picture than a dictator back from Babylon.

 Why didn’t the textbook find it worthy to mention all the amazing facts showing the Bible as accurate?  Dead sea scrolls, the incredible care the Jews took to copy it over and over precisely?  When the Islam section discussed the Quran, it talks of how the Hadith was “passed down in oral form through several generations, and compiled into authoritative collections.  Together, the Quran and collections of Hadith, make up the authentic sources of Islamic beliefs and practices.”  (pg 61)

 Recap:  the Jews copied the scriptures painstakingly for centuries, gathered them back together, compared, verified and organized the Torah.  Yet their version is “corrupt.”  Islam on the other hand, memorized it for generations, got all the dates and people differently, pulled it all together and our textbook gives it the phrase “authentic source of Islamic beliefs and practices.”

VIII.  ESTHER,  THE  ONE  BIBLE  STORY  NOT  IN  THE  QURAN

           Why is Esther, then, in the Judaism section?  I can think of two reasons, First, because Esther is the only story in the whole Bible that is completely devoid of God’s name.

            Second, because Esther is the perfect example of how a Jewish wife should behave in Islam.  A Persian king fell instantly in love with Esther, a beautiful virgin no doubt, who kept her faith and nationality in total secrecy.  Islam approves of mixed faith marriages, as long as the husband is Muslim, the wife is not.  The Muslim husband has total authority over his wife, and has the Quran’s instruction to beat and slap her if she misbehaves.  Esther found herself in a precarious situation of little choice.  Her nation conquered, she was in a foreign land, she had to completely submit or die.  She won her husband’s favors (saving the Jews) by pampering him in total submission at the risk of her own life.  I wonder how many Muslim’s with Jewish or Christian wives direct them to Esther of our own Bible.

IX.  CONCLUSION:

 “Who will go for Me?”  Any Christian in a position of power, I am begging that you pick up this cause.  I am a simple working mom.  I have no resources to organize a campaign.  This has been my part, now God calls you and all saints to rise up and say NO to what public school is doing.  Are you His?  Are you in the Promised Land hiding from the giants or will you fight like Joshua?  This is not MY fight alone, I’m at the gate sounding the alarm.  Wolves are RAVAGING our children!  World Net Daily, www.wnd.com recently did a poll asking “What do you think of public schools, and nationwide, with over 4,500 responses, the overwhelming answer is “They are corrupting our children.”  But we need to act.  Don’t tell me to homeschool, I represent thousands who can’t and I speak on behalf of the millions of lost children who don’t know Jesus.  FIGHT FOR THEM!  Our government is paying to teach our children about false gods, homosexuality, evolution, atheism, sorcery.  GOD IS ANGRY.  To deny that is to deny the whole Old Testament, of which the Bible says was given to us as an example.  The ONLY reason our nation still stands is because God said, “I will bless those who bless Israel, and curse those who curse Israel.”  But I tell you the truth, we are pushing the envelope.  God shows us that when children are sacrificed, nations are DONE.  Our children are dying spiritually.  Do not think God does not see!!!!

 Saints, it’s getting dark.  I did an AOL search for “Gospel” and the FIRST matching site was UNDERSTANDING ISLAM presented by AOL.  PBS’s very whitewashed version included.  There were some Gospel music sites (Islam’s Gospel: doing good for Allah)

Islam is gaining control of this nation from the inside even now, after 911.  How many more Daniel Pearls, homicide bombings, attacks like 911 before we stop spoonfeeding our children a white-washed version of Islam?

  I urge all Christians to contribute to the various Christian Legal Organizations who have been fighting to protect our rights and our children.  Ask your pastor if he’s aware of what’s happening.  If he isn’t, give him a chance to understand the depth of the crisis, the wolves are ravaging our children.  Ask him to lead in some way to fight this.  If your pastor refuses, he is an Ezekiel 34 shepherd, LEAVE HIM.  Ask your church to donate Christian books to the school library.  We must start fighting for the traditional values of our nation.

 Please, God, send laborers.  Saints, don’t think this will take care of itself, or God will do all the fighting for us.  What if Bible greats never responded to His call?  DEFEND OUR KIDS!

[Soldier4Christ]

"Modern World History, Patterns of Interaction" a High School Textbook by Houghton Mifflin


Houghton Mifflin boasts of its newest textbook, "Modern World History, Patterns of Interaction."  On page 627, Karen Armstrong is applauded for her explanation as to why religion is such a powerful force in people's lives.  She is quoted, "Human beings are spiritual animals...Men and women started to worship gods as soon as they became recognizably human; they created religions at the same time they created works of art."  (see full text )  "Like art, religion has been an attempt to find meaning and value in life..."

I am outraged.  Who is the state to tell my sons that man created religion?  That God is manmade?  Man does not just make up his relationship with God.  We have the right to our faith.  We have the right to believe in our God.  By what right does the state decide to teach our children atheist beliefs?  Houghton Mifflin cleverly applauds, then quotes an atheist, thus they can hide behind "We did not teach it as fact."  But in their introduction of her, they validate what she states, with "In her book, A history of God, Karen Armstrong explains why religion is such a powerful force in people's lives."

How would a self-professed atheist know what religion is?  She left the Catholic church and therefore claims to be an authority on the subject, but how can anyone who never had a relationship with God claim to know anything about  religion? Karen Armstrong, an atheist, clearly has no relationship with any god.  She may study the rituals of others but without the relationship, there is no "religion."  It is emptiness which is all an atheist knows. This does NOT qualify her to teach "religion" to my sons, nor to be validated by Houghton Mifflin to explain my faith or anyone else's!  An atheist can only give their empty views from the outside looking in.  (and we INVITE them in at all times in public school!)

School officials jump back in protest if one even suggests limiting the teaching of "religious beliefs" to school children.  They vehemently insist that one could not possibly teach Islam without teaching the religious beliefs in depth.  Yet, our founding fathers were Christian and everything possible is done to restrict, limit and eradicate those beliefs from our textbooks about America.  "SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE!"  Why do teachers INSIST on teaching Islamic beliefs to the point of indoctrination but strip all faith away from our own culture?  In the textbooks, our history is rewritten as "enlightenment."  When our founding fathers are described, they are said to have been influenced by "enlightenment" or "the Age of Reason" (pg 171)  "Enlightenment -  an 18th century European movement in which thinkers attempted to apply the principles of reason and the scientific method to all aspects of society."  This is what our Constitution is taught to our children as based upon.

Did you know that George Washington is quoted as saying, "Above all, teach the religion of Jesus Christ" when addressing the importance of public schools?  The textbook states, "*Patrick Henry, *John Adams, *Benjamin Franklin, these leaders used Enlightenment ideas to justify independence." (gasp)  See below what these founding fathers said about Christianity and the "Age of Reason".  Why is there barely any mention of our own rich heritage of Christianity?  Modern secularists would state it's not necessary for us to understand the beliefs of our forefathers, so why is it so imperative that we understand Islam's?

*Patrick Henry:  "It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religions, but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. For this very reason peoples of other faith have been afforded asylum, prosperity and freedom of worship here."   "The Bible is worth all other books which have ever been printed."

*John Adams:  "We have appointed a continental fast.  Millions will be upon their knees at once before their great Creator, imploring His forgiveness and blessing; His smiles on American councils and arms."

    Regarding the Age of Reason:  "The Christian religion is, above all the religions that ever prevailed or existed in ancient or modern times, the religion of wisdom, virtue, equity and humanity, let the Blackguard [scoundrel, rogue] Paine say what he will."  and again later to John Paine: "The people of New England, if you will allow me to use a Scripture phrase, are fast returning to their first love.  Will you excite among them the spirit of angry controversy at a time when they are hastening to amity and peace?  I am told that some of our newspapers have announced your intention to publish an additional pamphlet upon the principles of your Age of Reason.  Do you think that your pen, or the pen of any other man, can unchristianize the mass of our citizens, or have you hopes of converting a few of them to assist you in so bad a cause?"

*Benjamin Franklin: History will also afford frequent opportunities of showing the necessity of a public religion...and the excellency of the Christian religion above all others.

[Soldier4Christ]

John Quincy Adams:  "So great is my veneration for the Bible that the earlier my children begin to read it the more confident will be my hope that they will prove useful citizens of their country and respectable members of society.  I have for many years made it a practice to read through the Bible once every year."

U.S. Grant: "The Bible is the sheet-anchor of our liberties."

Andrew Jackson: "That book, sir, is the rock on which our republic rests."

Robert E. Lee:  "In all my perplexities and distresses, the Bible has never failed to give me light and strength."

Abraham Lincoln:  "I believe the Bible is the best gift God has ever given to man.  All the good from the Saviour of the world is communicated to us through this book."

Samuel Adams, "Father of the American Revolution" (to Britain) "We again make our solemn appeal to the God of heaven to decide between you and us.  And we pray that, in the doubtful scale of battle, we may be successful as we have justice on our side, and that the merciful Saviour of the world may forgive our oppressors."

George Washington:  "You do well to wish to learn our arts and ways of life, and above all, the religion of Jesus Christ.  Congress will do everything they can to assist you in this wise intention."

Even the Liberty Bell has a Bible verse engraved upon it!  "Proclaim liberty throughout the land unto all the inhabitants thereof. LEVITICUS 25:10"

Original Intent by David Barton has more than 500 pages crammed with quotes and sources, proving our nation was BUILT on Christianity.  But Houghton Mifflin would rewrite our heritage to credit Enlightenment.  Why?  And why is our Education Dept. determined to promote anything and everything apart from Christ?  Why must our children participate in Islamic beliefs while denying the truth of our own nation?

Every credentialed historian and every previous history book should be up in arms in protest of Houghton Mifflin's attempt to rewrite history.  If this textbook is an example of the license that can be taken by historians, it completely degrades all credibility of history books and the scholars that studied them.  If California stands behind such a biased half-truth "textbook," then we must doubt everything we've been taught in American history, and the credentials of these elite historians are worthless.

I liked the following from WND:

"In his speeches against tyranny, Patrick Henry said he believed God governed the affairs of men and would intervene on behalf of the colonies. He advocated a federal government with internal checks and balances with a written Bill of Rights that would protect the freedom of each man before God.

Henry believed in absolute morality. He taught "the eternal difference between right and wrong does not fluctuate." (Needless to say, Bill Clinton is the antithesis of Patrick Henry.)

Patrick Henry believed in the authority of the Bible. He held that "eternal law was reflected in nature and written in the Bible" as the surest foundation of social and political life. He also believed, as does President Bush, that authority comes from God.

We do not have Patrick Henrys leading us today because Christians have been careless. Even though we say "God Bless America" with our lips, we often reject God by our actions. We have elected men and women who have ousted prayer from our schools. We have elected men and women who adhere to the "right" to abort unborn babies. We have elected men and women who uphold homosexual lifestyles that God calls abomination.

We must become prudent with our votes, supporting only candidates who – like Patrick Henry – adhere to biblical values. It's time to get serious. We must pray that God will again send us leaders like Patrick Henry who will fearlessly hold God's hand while leading this nation. And we must be willing to wholeheartedly support them.

God Bless America!"  -R. Jerry Falwell

[Soldier4Christ]

 Highlighted in a fancy block, with a font one might find in the Bible, is a short clip of a famous poem taken out of context.  Dumped in the center of a section about Christopher Columbus, a man of faith, the 5th grade textbook states:

“They sailed and sailed as winds might blow;

Until at last the blanched mate said,

“Why, now not even God would know

Should I and all my men fall dead.
These very winds forget their way,

For God from these dread seas is gone.

Now speak, brave Admiral, speak and say-“

He said; “Sail on! Sail on! And on!”

- Joaquin Miller, from “Columbus”

(pg 111 “America Will Be”)

 

Why are 10-year-old children reading a dressed up verse stating God doesn’t know about men dying and that God is gone? The poem in context shows Columbus to be a man of faith, but this twisted EXCERPT is all the school children read, stating God is dead and would not know! Houghton Mifflin doesn’t state “God is gone” but it cleverly conveys that belief by quoting others.

This ploy continually resurfaces.  In the textbook “Patterns of Interaction” also by Houghton Mifflin, on page 627, Karen Armstrong is applauded for her explanation as to why religion is such a powerful force in people’s lives.  She is quoted,

    “Human beings are spiritual animals….   Men and women started to worship gods as soon as they became recognizably human; they created religions at the same time they created works of art…  Like art, religion has been an attempt to find meaning and value in life…”

Why are children forced to read atheist philosophy by authors applauded for it, then asked questions leading them to regurgitate the atheist lesson?

On pg. 464 in the Christian section of the 6th grade textbook “A Message of Ancient Days”, Tacitus is quoted to say that he shared the Roman view that Christians should be convicted [death] for their “hatred of mankind.”  There is no explanation offered, children are just left hanging with that thought.  The section on Christianity is titled, “Christians and the Fall of Rome”.  One might assume these two events were combined due to the time frame studied, but in fact, the Christian section is titled to indicate Christians as responsible for the fall of Rome.

Page 480 lists various reasons, with Christianity at the top of the list, adding,

    “Christians were more devoted to their faith and to the church than to the Roman state.”

Did it matter as they fed Christians to the lions whether they were loyal to Christ or Rome?  How is it that Christians are criticized whether empires rise or fall?  Why are Christian children being forced to read negative comments and blame about their faith in public school?

On page 466 it quotes Pliny as saying not to hunt Christians down, but to kill them if they profess Christianity. Then it states:

    “As the above exchange shows, Romans did not generally seek out Christians for punishment.  In fact, Christian settlements existed in North Africa for 100 years before the first Christian was executed.”

North Africa was clear across the sea from Rome and the section being studied! These "historians" had to really reach to make it seem Christians were not persecuted!

The textbook actually appears to excuse the torture of Christians because it states,

    “Some Christians were even put into an arena to fight lions as entertainment for Romans.  Later Christian writers attached great importance to these events.  They used the events to reinforce the suffering endured by Christians who remained faithful to their beliefs.  However, historians do not believe that many Christians were actually sent to the lions.  Overall, most Christians lived in peace until the AD 200s.”

I ask, “Where does Houghton Mifflin find historians?”

In a Message of Ancient Days, the 6th grade textbook states,

“The prophets were not  fortune tellers
 who predicted the future.
Instead they preached a message about
 how the people should act in the present.”

Jeremiah, Danial, Isaiah, etc., gave EXACT prophesies about the future.  False prophets were stoned to death if they prophesied wrongly just one time. It was that important that the people not be misled by false prophets.

 Muhammad is the only prophet that could not relay the future.  It seems we must redefine “prophet” because Muhammad did not rightly prophesy.

 The textbook states:

“However, by accepting the prophets’ explanation
 for the disaster,
the Jews could keep their faith in God and survive exile.”
 (pg 311)

 The Jews had faith because they knew God!  Not because any prophet attempted to explain away their circumstances. Unbelievably, Houghton Mifflin is giving alternative atheist reasons for Jewish faith and claiming the prophets were false prophets!

Houghton Mifflin’s blatant promotion of Islam continues to be taught in public school. Houghton Mifflin shows no preference to which belief is accepted as long as Judeo-Christian beliefs are systematically twisted, falsified, criticized and destroyed.  All other beliefs are enticingly offered as a rich smorgasbord, spoon-fed to children with an atheist topping.  Our tax dollars pay for the restaurant but our children are handed the check for their souls.